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Idaho's Museum of Clean

Founder Don Aslett stands in front of the Museum of Clean's Washboard Entrance.

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Kids' Clean World is an interactive exhibit that comes with kid-sized tools.

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The Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho, contains over 3,500 artifacts.

Some people might throw away a 25-pound preelectric hand-pumped vacuum cleaner, but to Don Aslett, founder of the Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho, that would be like trashing the Mona Lisa.

“Many museums aren’t universal,” Aslett says. “Not everyone rides trains or flies planes, but cleaning is something everybody does.” Set for its grand opening on April 20 and 21, the building holds more than 3,500 artifacts, including a metal squeegee that ancient Romans used to scrape their bodies after bathing.

You’ll also find an art gallery, a theater, and interactive exhibits such as Kids’ Clean World, which comes with tiny tidying tools. But how does the 57,000-square-foot complex stay spick-and-span itself? Aslett will deploy antimicrobial coatings, super-efficient air filtration, and expert dusting to make his building the world’s cleanest—as shown in his own “clean audit,” which he hopes will become a global standard. (888) 748-3535, museumofclean.com.

Photography courtesy of the Museum of Clean

This article was first published in March 2012. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.